NIATW will be held mainly at the headquarter of NARIT (see the map below), located in Siripanich Buidling, opposite to MAYA Shopping Center, which offers ready access to restaurants, food courts, a large supermarket, banks, numerous ATMs, cinemas, pharmacies, hair-dressing salons, and a wide variety of other types of shops. In addition, there is a 24-hr convenience store (Seven-11) just two-minute walk from NARIT.

Observing sessions will take place at the Thai National Observatory, a 2-hour drive to the south of Chiang Mai. Transport to the observatory will be provided by NIATW free of charge.

Chiang Mai is located in the far north of Thailand, and is served by an international airport with direct flights to and from China, Hong Kong, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Taiwan. From other countries Chiang Mai is reached via Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. Note that Chiang Mai is far from Bangkok: the aeroplane flight between the two cities takes a little over an hour. Meanwhile daytime and overnight bus and train trips from Bangkok to Chiang Mai take 10-12 hours.

Citizens of most countries can obtain visas upon arrival in Bangkok or Chiang Mai that will remain valid for the duration of NIATW. However, those coming from some countries must apply beforehand for visas from the Thai Embassies in their countries. Sometimes obtaining visas can be time-consuming if you are from these countries, so it is best to make your application to the Thai Embassy well in advance. For more information about Thai visas click here http://www.mfa.go.th/main/en/services/123

In Chiang Mai, shared accommodation in twin rooms (two persons per room) will be provided at the Chiangmai Hill 2000 Hotel, which is approximately 5 minute walk from NARIT’s headquarter (where the workshop will be held). During the visit to the Thai National Observatory the accommodation will be in shared twin rooms or dormitories at the Doi Inthanon National Park Headquarters. All accommodation will include breakfast. Free wireless internet access will be available in Chiang Mai, and on Doi Inthanon.

There is a plentiful supply of red buses (which hold up to 10 people) and tuktuks (which at most carry 3 people) directly outside the hotel. A trip from the Hotel to the Taphae Gate region of downtown Chiang Mai, where there are night markets, Buddhist temples, Thai boxing, and many restaurants, massage shops and bars, takes 10 minutes and should cost 100 Thai baht (total) in a tuktuk and 20 baht per passenger in a red bus (these are the standard prices for all local travel, but if it is obvious that you are a visitor to Thailand they may try to make you pay more).